With having practiced law for more than 20 years, Douglas H. Peterson now primarily works in corporate commercial law. Focusing on corporate structuring (both domestic and international) and international business transactions, Douglas works with his fair share of contracts. He has represented companies in all phases of the business lifecycle from start-up to the international expansion phase. He has spent time working in Japan and has set up international structures for corporations across the world.
LESA is pleased to have Douglas back to present for us again this fall at our upcoming Advanced Legal Writing program. This two-part series offers both in-person registration at LESA’s Program Space in Edmonton or the option to join in online via livestream.
We (virtually) chatted with Douglas to learn a little more about him as well as what registrants can expect to gain from attending this program. Read on for details!
What led you to pursue a career in law?
Growing up, my father was a lawyer as were some of my uncles. Their influence and shared experiences led me to pursue a career in law as well. I’ve always valued the ability to help people, and it is fulfilling to assist companies find growth and success.
What can lawyers expect to gain from attending this program?
Participants of this program can expect to see an improvement in legal writing and drafting and an awakening to the misconceptions and myths regarding plain language writing. With an expanded skillset, participants can also expect to see a change with clients; because of plain language usage and greater certainty and confidence in the documents produced, participants can expect to see an increase in their productivity.
What makes this program unique?
To a degree, this program will be a bit of a wake-up call to lawyers to shun traditional legalese in favor of plain language and will dispel all arguments used against it. It will provide a guide that can be referred back to consistently. Communication is integral to the practice of law. By gaining an awareness of common crucial errors and how to avoid them, this program will expand a lawyer’s skill set and capacity to produce well-written legal documents such as contracts or litigation documents.
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Advanced Legal Writing Part 1 will take place on October 6, 2021 (in-person and livestream) and will explore the following topics:
- An overview of legal writing as related to contracts, litigation documents, and bylaws
- Common crucial errors and how to avoid them
- Standard clauses, such as representations vs. warranties, consideration clauses, indemnify vs. hold harmless, and reasonable efforts
- What makes for a bad piece of legal writing and how to fix it
Advanced Legal Writing Part 2 will take place on October 27, 2021 (in-person and livestream) and will build on part 1 to explore:
- An overview of categories of language in contracts such as obligation, discretion, prohibition, and policy
- Use and misuse of words such as “shall”
- A discussion of what makes for a bad piece of legal writing and how to fix it
Plus, did you know you can save $105 if you sign up for both parts? Discount will automatically apply when qualifying items are in your cart.
